Kidnapped
by corneroffandom
Summary: The Revolution have had their eye on Rockstar Spud for quite awhile, and James Storm is never one to give up when he really wants something.


It's just his luck, he thinks balefully. Gets fired, nearly gets deported, loses his best friend and psuedo-family, and now... now... Rockstar Spud shivers and looks up, his blue eyes wet and reddened. Somewhere along the way, he'd attracted the attention of The Revolution, James Storm's bloody creepy group, and tweets had moved onto piercing stares in the hallway from the members- Manik, Abyss, Sanada... but the worst of it all was easily James himself, because James actually vocalized his taunts, leaving Spud struggling to breathe each time he had to rush past, desperate to avoid the stares and the whispers and the shivers that followed him for hours afterwards.

"Please," he mumbles, making his way slowly down the hall. "Just one bloody day where I don't have to..." He stops talking to himself, sighing grimly. The group is there again, just within reach of the locker room he's been assigned to since being rehired. He can't avoid them, keeps his eyes downcast as he tries to walk past in a manner that would make them think he's distracted and busy and hopefully leave him alone.

No such luck, however, as James reaches out and plants an arm on the opposing wall, blocking Spud's forward motion. "Oh, Spudsy, Spudsy, Spudsy," he mocks him. "Where ya runnin' off to so fast, hm? We just wanna talk with ya for a bit."

Spud swallows, hard. Tries to think of something, quickly, to give himself a reason to get out of this, get to safety once more. A person who he could lie and claim required him to do something right this second. Alas, since Kurt Angle had given him his job back, that's a rarity. He's just another _guy_ right now, no special significance or powers as he has no connection to the Carters anymore. His voice sounds weak and pathetic even to his own ears as he tries to puff himself up, sound more like the Rockstar Spud of old. "I'm going to the Carters'. They've requested my help with-" His voice falters when James tsks, loudly, _touching_ him now, his hand resting almost possessively along the column of his neck. Spud starts to make a protesting noise, his hand heavy and uncomfortable against his skin, and then he makes the mistake of catching James' eye, feeling things _shift_ around him. "Please," he whispers, and just as quickly as it'd come, James' touch disappears.

"Why do you look so scared, Spud? We just want to give you a new home," he says, voice smooth, gaze sincere. He looks perfectly friendly, hopeful even and Spud swallows, wondering if perhaps he was wrong all along, if the locker room whispers were full of falsehoods and fearmongering, everyone just overreacting to the glimpses seen of The Revolution. He flounders for a moment, wonders where _that_ thought came from, until James speaks again, distracts him. "Won't you join our family?"

Spud looks at him, glances over at Abyss, Manik, Sanada. They all look encouraging, nodding at him, and he swallows hard, shaking his head in confusion as one word keeps repeating over and over in his head. "I... family?"

"Yes," James says. "You know what that's like, right? You worked for the Carters, but they never fully accepted you as one of them. You won't ever experience that with us, we will never forsake you or abandon you like they did. We _want_ you around, Spud. What do you say?" His hand eases back around Spud's neck and Spud shudders, wavering.

"I- I don't know..." he whispers, watching as James' grin turns almost predatory. He blinks, hard, trying to shake these strange thoughts and emotions off, but he's so tired, so frustrated with the memories he's constantly haunted by of _before,_ that the more he looks at James, at the others, that the more right this feels. "Wh... what would I have to do?"

James chuckles, his touch shifting just a little as he guides Spud down the hall towards the exit. "Leave that to us," he says, voice lilting darkly.

-x

It's not what Spud had expected in the moment that he'd gone along with things, but was exactly what he knew the reality to be until they'd wormed their way inside and had convinced him, so easily. He closes his eyes, cursing his momentary weakness, shaking his wrists feebly. He's chained up in the barn on Storms' property and there's nothing really he can do, all of the thrashing around and yelling hadn't gotten him anywhere. He'd woke up like this, birds chirping and general insect noises drawing him back to consciousness, and now he's stuck, remembering how easily it'd been for James to sway him, to encourage him. One look into the man's crazed eyes and he'd lost, so very simply. He'd ignored them for _weeks,_ but now... now... He closes his eyes and shudders. _There will be no rescue,_ he tells himself. _You're all alone. If anyone's going to save you, it's going to have to be yourself._ Which seems impossible. His wrists are shackled to the wall, held at an angle where he can't lay down, can only lean against the wall in an awkward sitting position, and he hasn't been fed, barely given anything to drink, just sitting here alone since James had first brought him here, Manik helping long enough to get the shackles into position before taking his leave too.

_Idiot,_ he tells himself. _Such a foolish, pathetic thing, no wonder the Carters-_ He forces himself to stop thinking, not wanting to verbalize the rest, even mentally. Takes a deep breath and tries to look out through the gaps in the wood of the barn, see outside to figure out _something,_ anything, that could help or give him some clue where he might be at. They can't keep him here forever, right? He'll be able to break free and escape at some point. He hopes.

It feels like hours have passed when the group returns- James, Abyss and Sanada all sneer down at him, Manik hovering in the back with his phone aimed at them, light flashing red to prove he's being recorded. "Now," James says, kneeling and gripping Spud's jaw, forcing him to look up and gauging the look in his eye. "I ain't afraid to tell ya this is gonna hurt... a lot..."

-x

The videos spread fast, and thick. There's a new one almost every day, Spud chained to the wall, beaten and battered, clearly not sleeping much if at all and losing weight as James only feeds him the bare minimum, and only sometimes offers him water after each beating is done. The series of videos last longer than any others before it has, because Spud, despite giving in back at the arena, has snapped out of it and his innate fighting spirit won't die- just as it did when the Carters were threatening his livelihood, his passions. TNA backstage is full of whispers about it- why higher ups weren't doing anything about this, how Spud could possibly be holding out _this_ long against onslaughts that had felled everyone before him so quickly.

Ethan _tries_ to ignore the whispers, refuses to watch the videos. The answers are all obvious to him- Dixie wants nothing to do with Spud, the entire family had written him off after Dixie's injuries, had tried to get rid of him entirely but ultimately contracts were handled by Kurt Angle and their hands were a bit tied until the latest contract expired. Of course Dixie wouldn't bother to help him. She hadn't done anything to help the others trapped in James' cult either. _Not to mention,_ he thinks grimly, flexing his hands into fists,_ Spud's always been too stubborn for his own good._ If he'd just _give up_ sometimes, life would probably be a lot easier for everyone involved. Fighting so hard for his career, fighting _against Ethan_ so stubbornly... and now this.

Though Ethan can't completely ignore the strange twisting sensation in his chest whenever he thinks about Spud under James Storm's control. He sighs and turns back to his workout, sipping from a bottle of water as he wipes up some sweat pooling around his muscles, before pausing. Someone's phone is abandoned on top of a gym bag a few feet away, an alert flashing incessantly on it, and something draws him to it, his breath catching when he realizes it's another video from the Revolution. Almost without thinking, he leans over and presses play, eyes locked on the screen as he watches, the lighting piss poor, the video shaky and of pretty terrible quality, but enough for him to get the gist. To see, and hear, Spud getting beat down for so long, so brutally, his hair, longer than the last time Ethan remembers seeing him and dirty, hanging in front of his eyes once they finally lay off of him, hands held limp in shackles holding him to the wall.

He freezes, stuck staring at that final image of Spud, jaw working. They had tried to humiliate him, yes, things had been said and done as Dixie had wanted him gone _so badly_, but... this... this looks like they're trying to legitimately kill the man, and he's _still_ resisting? Somehow... Ethan feels like he's going to be sick, eyes squeezing shut as he tries to control his breathing, reign in his wild, rushing thoughts. He remembers Willow, he remembers jail, he remembers every other time Spud had needed him and he'd been there, in one way or another. "Son of a bitch," he breathes out, scrambling for his phone and hitting speed dial instinctively. "Tyrus? Yeah, I'm gonna need your help with something."

-x

It's not hard to find where James Storm lives. Ethan sweettalks the receptionist at the TNA offices and she gives it up right away, pouting a little when he barely thanks her before taking the information and leaving as quickly as he'd come. Tyrus is waiting in the car and hits the gas as soon as Ethan's got his seatbelt on, directing Tyrus where to go as he puts the address in to the GPS. It's a long drive, takes most of the afternoon well into the evening, but Tyrus knows all the shortcuts and back country roads to get there faster than expected. Ethan stares, once they arrive, overwhelmed by the size of the place. James actually owns a decent amount of land and he's not sure where to start, though he finds _some_ luck because as they try to work out a gameplan, Ethan is relieved that Tyrus had parked his vehicle behind some foliage out of sight of the road when a large truck barrels out of the long gravel road that leads to the Storm residence, James, Abyss, Sanada and Manik all inside. Ethan's not sure where they're going, or for how long, but it seems like everything is falling into place so he gets out of the car and looks around. "Come on," he hisses to Tyrus and they take it on foot, delving deeper into the greenery to try to find the ramshackle building where James holds his victims at that they'd only ever really seen the inside of.

He's still remembering the forest, with Willow, and how terrifying that had been, brushing branches from an aged tree out of his face impatiently, when he thinks he hears something. Stopping short, he listens more intently, trying to differentiate what is birds, and other wildlife, and what might be- ... and then he hears it again, the echoing sound of chains clanking, and his breath seizes in his throat as he turns in a slow circle and... sees a barn, off in the distance, wood rotting and barely held up, but visible over some bushes. Tyrus is incredibly quiet as he follows Ethan over and they peek inside, eyes taking a few minutes to adjust to the gloom, but there can be no doubt- someone's inside of there, struggling, and Ethan slowly walks around the building until he finds the door, pushing it open slowly. His ears are immediately greeted by frenzied, desperate murmurs. "No, please, not so soon- I can't..."

Spud's voice is weak, cracking every other word, but it's most definitely him, and it's one of the best things Ethan's heard as he steps inside and holds the door for Tyrus. It's the only bright spot he gets, however, once he gets a good look. Spud's slumped against the wall, eyes swollen shut, tears pouring down his face, blood dripping lazily from wounds along his face and basically every inch of dirty, bruised skin that Ethan can see through the shadows. Hatred and horror battle for dominance within him as he gets a better look at what they've been doing to the man for the past few days, things that Manik's videos could never capture fully, and he has to take a few moments to just catch his breath before slowly picking his way around various tools of torture to get over to him. Spud's breath hitches as Ethan kneels down in front of him and shakes his head, lips trembling. "Please, not again, I... I won't..." He sounds close to breaking and Ethan has to swallow hard at the thoughts of that, that James Storm could've won if he'd ignored that phone back at the gym.

Ethan grits his teeth and chooses to ignore his former best friend's desperate pleas, reaching up to get a feel of the shackles holding him in place. They're rusty, far from sanitary, and Ethan yearns to just scoop Spud up and get him help right away, but he has to free him of these first. Spud is still struggling weakly against him, barely able to speak higher than a whisper, so thin, so pale, that Ethan wants to kill everyone involved in this, burn the entire building to the ground, but first things first. He notices Tyrus walking over with something- bolt cutters- and Ethan holds Spud, keeping him from thrashing around, while Tyrus cleaves the shackles in pieces close to the wall, Spud immediately collapsing into Ethan's arms, unable to hold himself upright.

He shudders and sniffs, tears soaking through Ethan's shirt, confused, indecipherable mumbles reaching Ethan's ears as he holds him, watching Tyrus slowly cut at the chains holding Spud's ankles. "He's free," Tyrus finally grunts, and Ethan breathes a little easier.

"Thank you," he tells his enforcer, watching as Tyrus nods and disappears into the gloom to keep an eye out while Ethan handles Spud.

Spud's sobs stop with a sudden gasp of air, his fingers clenching at Ethan's shirt. "...Sir?" he breathes out. "Is this a dream?"

"No," Ethan murmurs. "It's real. I've got you." He sighs, hoisting Spud up, and is met with one more flash of memory from back in Willow's cabin as Spud whimpers and buries his face into Ethan's chest, trembling all over.

"Why?" Spud mumbles.

Honestly, Ethan doesn't really have an answer to that question himself. Before the video, before ... all of this, he was _certain_ Spud was getting karmic justice for what had befallen his aunt, but actually _seeing_ it, hearing Spud's cries of pain, the unending torture he was being put through day after day... Ethan's old, protective nature had been restored, and he couldn't allow it to continue. Trying to find the words to explain this doesn't matter anyway, Ethan realizes, as he looks down to find Spud's passed out in his arms. Worry and fear grip him anew and he moves, quickly but quietly. "We gotta go," he tells Tyrus, who falls in step with him as they make their way through the trees and bushes back to their car, where Ethan lays Spud down gingerly on a blanket in the back. "Get us to the nearest hospital."

Tyrus nods, starts the car up, and goes.

-x

Antibiotics. Pain meds. IVs to replenish all of the liquids he's lost. Enough bandages to make a mummy out of most men. His old ankle injury flaring back up,, leaving it swollen and tender to the touch and requiring it to be elevated on a stack of pillows. Ethan eyes Spud's motionless form and exhales shakily, gripping his hand and looking at the thick gauze held over where shards of rust had been picked from his skin due to his struggling so hard to get free from those shackles. He closes his eyes, imagining all he'd like to do to Revolution once he's back on the road, but for now... For now, Spud needs him, so he stays and mulls over how pissed off James must've been when he came back to find his latest victim free. "He won't touch you again," he promises his former best friend. "Won't even get a good look at you again, if I have my way."

Promises he may not be able to keep- Spud will, of course, want to return to TNA, resume his life, his career, as soon as doctors sign off on it, but it comforts him to say it none-the-less, visions of James Storm under his boot, getting a 1%er again and again and again until he's crying out for mercy, sustaining Ethan until Spud's heart rate spikes and Ethan watches closely when his eyes flutter open, fingers tightening around Ethan's. "Hey," he says quietly once those blue eyes focus on him, lips quirking up. "Welcome back to the land of the living."

Despite how hard he tries to seem nonthreatening, Spud _tenses _and scrambles back, leaving Ethan's hand empty and cold, his breathing wild and rough as he presses against the thin pillows. "Wha- no... what's going on..." He looks so confused, so_ scared,_ that something twists deep inside of Ethan all over again and he makes sure to move slowly, staying seated so he doesn't just tower over Spud.

"You're safe," he promises, gingerly reaching out for Spud and resting a hand on his wrist. "I'm not gonna hurt you. Do you remember...?"

Spud stares at where he's touching him and closes his eyes, gasping out in agony. "James Storm," he mumbles. "The Revolution..."

"Yes," Ethan says, sympathetic and calm. "They kidnapped you and tortured you for days." He waits for this to sink in before pushing on. "I rescued you."

Spud struggles to breathe. To think. Finally looks up at him and asks the one thing Ethan isn't sure he has an exact answer for right now. "_Why_?"

Ethan doesn't say anything for a long moment, then shrugs. "To be honest," he says, trying to keep his voice level. "I'm not sure myself." Their eyes lock and his lips twitch, ever so slightly. "I just couldn't stomach what they were doing to you." Months of desperation for payback and trying to destroy Spud's career, kick him back to England permanently, and... Ethan's not sure. As much as he'd wanted to place the blame somewhere and Dixie's pained insistent that it was all Spud's fault, those grainy, overexposed videos had wiped it all clean. Left him furious and feeling like the Ethan of old who would traipse through a forest to save the man after he was kidnapped. "I guess it reminded me of Willow."

Spud's gasp is loud and shaky and their eyes lock, neither man in a hurry to look away as they recall _that_ cabin, _that_ horror. "W- well, whatever the cause," Spud whispers around dry looking lips. "Tha- thank you, sir." The nickname slips out, and he flushes slightly, shaking his head before settling back against his pillows, looking wan and exhausted.

Ethan, however, nudges him within a few moments and when Spud looks up at him, unimpressed, he does smirk now. "You need to drink this," he says, holding a glass of water out to him. "You were really dehydrated, no point in letting yourself get back to that stage." Spud tries to reach for it but pain crosses his face and Ethan sighs as his hands drop back to his side, weighed down by bandages and gauze trying to protect the wounds beneath. "Let me." He adjusts the bed so Spud is sitting up more, and holds the glass to his lips, trying not to get too impatient as the man sips slowly.

Spud seems to fall asleep mid-sip and Ethan quickly moves the glass away, not wanting him to choke, and eases the bed back down to a more comfortable sleeping position, before sitting back to watch him, a frown on his face. His body is bruised, and bloodied, and it's going to take time. Nothing life threatening, maybe a couple fractured ribs the worst of it, but all in all, the hospital hadn't seemed too concerned once his levels had stabilized after a couple bags of saline. Once Spud is awake and more alert, Ethan knows he'll be released. _And then what? _he wonders, steepling his fingers as he stares down at Spud's face, a little tight with pain but all in all much more peaceful than it was when he'd first found him.

His doubts weigh on him as Spud sleeps, only waking now and again, sometimes from nightmares, sometimes from the nurse coming in to check on him. The medicine they have him on seems very good at keeping him down, which is probably good. Ethan imagines he hadn't slept much at all while held in that grungy dilapidated barn. He sits and watches and thinks, trying to plan for the future, but his mind is blank, he can't decide the best course of action to take. He still has his aunt to consider, after all, and anything he does would be excessively public, due to the nature of the business they're in.

He's still staring at his hands, lost in thought, when Spud stirs, clears his throat. "Sir," he says weakly. When Ethan looks up at him, Spud sighs slowly. "I... I want to return to the road as soon as I get released from the hospital," he says.

"What? Absolutely not," Ethan snaps, anger flaring redhot within him at the very thought of it. "You can barely stay awake for five minutes, you think now's the time to get on TV and leave yourself vulnerable to Storm's cult again?"

Spud shakes his head slowly. "Of course not," he says patiently. "But there are others James will target- they need properly warned." He fiddles with the blanket spread over his legs and frowns. "I can't sit by and let anyone else get hurt like I have been." He looks up. "I thought perhaps you would be willing to help me, but if not, I understand. You let me know a long time ago what you truly think of me, and... and I've gotten better at being independent."

"I can tell," Ethan says dryly, glancing him over, but Spud ignores this.

"I can take care of myself long enough to film a small segment warning people from James Storm and his group. Then I will leave and go somewhere safe. It's fine."

Ethan rolls his eyes. "Idiot," he mumbles, and Spud frowns harder. "Look, I'm not going to have you run off and undo everything I just did. I'd rather not waste gas to get back to Storm's ugly compound just to drag you to safety again because you couldn't just _wait._ Tyrus and I will be nearby while you go to the shows this week, but then you've gotta give yourself time to heal and regroup, right? Just... stay at home and stop being so damn annoying for awhile." He exhales long and slow as Spud eyes him.

"Might want to watch that, sir, I might start to think you care." Spud's words are dripping in sarcasm and Ethan closes his eyes, pinching his nose.

"Shut up, Spud."

They sit in strained silence for awhile until finally Spud shifts. "I accept your offer of help," he finally says tensely. "Thank you."

Ethan breathes a little easier at this.

-x

Except their plans are derailed almost before they step foot into the arena. They decide to arrive separately to forgo gossip and whispers, Ethan and Tyrus trailing in a couple minutes after Spud, able to see his bright monstrosity of a suit from a mile away as they walk lazily up the hall, barely glancing at him but staying nearby. He's staring at a monitor with a horrified look on his face and Ethan shifts just enough to see it himself.

James Storm is on the screen, his other cult members behind him, menacing, quiet, eager to do James' bidding. "Well, well," he says softly. "Someone came in and stole my latest recruit. It's sad, we were _right there_ at getting him ready to be part of our family. Luckily I'm prepared for how warped, how _greedy_ this world is, so I have footage of the culprit." He stares blankly into the screen. "Play the video."

It's black and white, grainy and a little jerky at points, but it's clear who approaches the barn, Ethan and Tyrus not exactly hard to make out even from a distance. Ethan swallows and closes his eyes, feeling all of the little lies and claims he'd made to Dixie to explain away his barely being around the past week slipping through his fingers as Spud looks over his shoulder worriedly at him and even Tyrus shifts minutely. _Shit,_ he thinks as the video skips ahead, shows him leaving with a bloodied, unconscious Spud cradled in his arms.

"Don't ya see what they're doin', Spud?" James asks. "They're trying to keep you from where you belong, they're tryin' to keep you dependent on them. You don't need _them,_ you need a home, a family who'll always have your back and won't turn on you for the smallest mistake. Come on, son. Come back to us. We just want to help you."

Ethan is horrified to see Spud sway towards the screen, as if once more drawn to James' words, and he quickly steps forward and grabs Spud's shoulder, holding onto him, grounding him. Spud tenses under his fingers, and then looks over at him, nodding slowly, awareness creeping back into his eyes.

Turning his focus, James smirks. "Ethan Carter the 3rd. Guess your momma never taught you bad things happen to people who steal, huh? Ya took what's mine, and I want 'im back, and until I get him back, I'm coming for you because someone shoulda taught you this lesson a loooooong time ago. You're gonna regret comin' onto my property and taking from me. I promise ya." He takes a breath, slowly calming down. "You have until the end of the night to bring Spud to my locker room or what happened to your aunt's gonna seem like child's play once I'm done."

Ethan grits his teeth, pain and guilt swirling around within him as he considers this warning. "Boss," Tyrus says, bringing him back to the present as he looks around, words dying on his lips as he realizes why Tyrus is fighting for his attention.

Spud has slipped away from his touch, mindlessly walking forward, and Ethan shakes his head, hard. "What are you doing?!" he snaps, rushing forward and grabbing Spud before he can get too far away, dragging him back. Spud continues to struggle, his eyes dull and lips parted, the level of fight still within him despite all of his injuries leaving Ethan in terrified awe. "Stop!" He twists Spud around and cups his face, glaring into his eyes. "I said _stop, _tiger_!"_

The old nickname he'd given him during one of his peptalks slip out and _everything_ stops, the world feeling like everyone is holding their breath at that one slip of the tongue, and Ethan considers looking up and around, but he can't take his eye off of Spud, watching as he blinks and slowly comes back to himself again. "Sir?"

"What kind of control does he have over you?" Ethan mumbles, though he can guess. "Come on." Seeing no point in hiding anymore, he plants his hand between Spud's shoulderblades and directs him into his private locker room, shutting the door securely behind them. "Shit," he mumbles, pacing a little bit. Angry at himself for not realizing James would immediately go for the kill, out them for the whole world to know. For his aunt to hear and spend her recovery fixated on what exactly Ethan is doing. "Goddammit!" He kicks the wall, wrestling boot breaking through the plaster easily, before slumping down next to Spud, burying his face in his hands.

They sit in tense silence for awhile and finally Spud clears his throat. "I guess I could still find the camera crew and film those videos to explain my side of it..." But Ethan shakes his head and Spud falls quiet, staring at him for a few moments before looking away.

"Tyrus," Ethan finally says after awhile. "Get your phone out and film whatever Spud wants about all of this."

Tyrus never asks any questions, just grabs his phone and abides by Ethan's orders, keeping the phone aimed on Spud as he gets himself together, opting not to hide his bruises or cuts as he faces the screen and swallows hard. "Hello. You all know me as Rockstar Spud. A week ago, I was abducted by the members of the Revolution and brainwashed into coming with them to James Storm's cabin in the woods. Once there, he shackled me to the walls and beat me repeatedly for days. They are not a family- they are one man determined to control people to further his agenda, and if anyone refuses him, they get beat down physically and mentally until they give in to his demands." He stares helplessly into the camera. "Please, do not fall for his rhetoric. He may claim to have your best interests at heart, but he does not. He simply wants to control people and will target them at their most vulnerable to achieve his goals." His blue eyes are exhausted but filled with determination as he finishes speaking. "If you ever need help, please come to me. Come to Kurt Angle. We will do all we can to help you, I promise." He glances over the phone at Tyrus and nods his head to show he's done, relaxing a little as the red light turns off and Tyrus fiddles with his phone.

Ethan looks a little overwhelmed by Spud's passionate plea but ultimately shakes it off, trying to look fully in control of himself once more. "We'll make sure the production staff puts that on TV and online as soon as possible," he says quietly.

Spud swallows. Nods. "Thank you, sir," he responds after a moment.

Spud's video gets uploaded the day after TNA's events and Ethan watches the view count rise slowly, steadily, as more people absorb the warning, hopefully takes it to heart. He rewatches it a time or two, mulling over Spud's words, how despite everything he's been through, he hasn't lost any hope or strength. It's pretty incredible, Ethan has to admit, but he doesn't have much time to think about it as he's drawn into Dixie's office as soon as he reaches home and gets a lecture to end all lectures for allowing himself to get dragged back into Spud's world over such a petty drama. He nods where he feels the need to, appearing agreeable with his aunt here and there, but when he leaves the room, his teeth are gritted, eyes flashing with frustration.

_I am a grown man,_ he thinks. _I can make my own decisions without my aunt trying to tell me everything she thinks I'm doing wrong... _It doesn't help his stress levels much that he's been on the phone with Spud almost every day this week, trying to convince him to lay low, let James get distracted by someone or something else, well aware that his argument with Spud is going about as far as Dixie's lecture did. He shakes his head, lips twitching.

As Ethan dreads but expects, Spud ultimately gets his way, because there are rumblings that James Storm wannts to address Spud again and he wants to be present for it, even if Ethan won't allow a face-to-face. The night of the next TNA event, the three of them aren't even bothering to pretend anymore, Tyrus staying patiently behind Ethan and Spud as they walk side by side into the arena, Ethan keeping a close eye out on anything suspicious around them while Spud struggles to keep his eyes straight ahead, not folding in on himself even as anxiety weighs him down. Ethan's only comfort is most of the cuts and bruises have healed, and he's walking much steadier than the week prior.

"C'mon, Spud," Ethan mumbles, guiding him once more to the private locker room with Ethan's name on it. "Let's sit down awhile." He's noticed how tense Spud is holding himself and thinks maybe a familiar place will ease his nerves. Hopefully. There's a large screen in his room, showing what's being filmed for the show, and they all freeze when they hear James Storm's voice only moments after settling down on the couch, Spud choking on thin air as they all look at the TV.

"I tried to be patient about it," James says, shaking his head. "I made it clear what I wanted. Ethan, you're really foolish for not abiding by what I said. Ignoring me was the wrong choice, boy." He stares intently into the camera, a small smirk playing at his lips. "So tell ya what, Carter, since ya can only seem to understand things in wrestling terms. Let's have a tag match. You and Spud versus, let's say, me and Abyss. How's that sound? When we win, you will give Spud back to us, and never. take. from. me. again." His eyes blaze with anger before he pulls away and exhales slowly. "I'll be waitin' for your answer."

The screen goes dark and Spud sinks into himself, trembling. Tyrus shifts behind them and Ethan swallows, suddenly unsure what to do. "Spud," he says quietly. There's no reaction from the other man, if anything he seems to only curl into himself even tigher. "Spud!" He exhales when Spud finally looks up and over at him, eyes glassy. "It's going to be ok. We'll figure this out."

"How, sir? They're going to... they're going to take me back, and I can't- I..." His chin trembles and Ethan is horrified to see tears forming in Spud's eyes.

Groaning, he reaches out and grabs Spud, pressing him into his chest. "Shh," he mumbles, feeling tears soaking through his shirt almost immediately. "Geez, Spud." They sit there for long, breathless moments, Ethan uncertain what to do to comfort him until he shifts, rubbing his back soothingly. "It's gonna be ok. I'm not going to let them take you again." He remembers finding him in that dark barn, so bruised and traumatized that he could barely stay conscious, much less anything else.

Spud shivers and sniffs, finally pulling away and wiping impatiently at his face. Breaking down in front of Ethan months ago may have been fine, but now... He's disgusted with how vulnerable he's been in front of the man already, but there's really only so much he can do about it while being targetted by James Storm's cult. "What are we going to do then?"

Ethan stares at him, his eyes dark and cunning. "I have an idea."

Spud finds himself standing outside of Ethan's locker room a little later, trying not to look like he's about to lose his mind, as a camera crew aims at them. Tyrus is a steadying force behind them, and Ethan is his usual calm, sauve self as he addresses the camera crew, his entire form changing as the light glows red to show they're filming. "So, The Revolution thinks they can take from me? A Carter? Please. I always get what I want," he says, casting a cool glance over at Spud. "One way or another. So for that reason, I'm making a counteroffer. You will put your tag team championships on the line, so when _we _win, we will be new tag team champions and you will have _nothing_." He pauses for effect. "Sounds well deserved to me, don't you two think?"

Tyrus nods, and Spud swallows hard, trying to force the words out of trembling lips. "Yes, sir," he finally manages and Ethan turns back to the camera, smirking.

"See you out there, boys." Once the cameras have stopped recording, Ethan nods his thanks to the crew before motioning Spud back into his locker room, Tyrus shutting the door solidly behind them.

Spud trembles as he sits down, staring at his hands. "Sir," he says lowly and Ethan drops down next to him. "I can't win this. Against James Storm and Abyss? They're... they're going to take me back." He looks up, eyes miserable and reddened. "I can't survive going through that again."

Ethan drops a hand on Spud's neck, rubbing the tense muscles he finds there. "You won't have to," he says quietly. "This isn't like before, we're... we're different now." He eyes Spud. "You've changed, so have I. You're more of a fighter, have had to stand on your own. I'm angrier for a lot of reasons. We'll make it work."

Spud shakes his head, but doesn't say anything, just resumes staring at his hands.

It feels like only seconds have passed when a knock comes at the door, and a tech peeks in when Tyrus answers. "Mr. Carter," he stammers, awed at being in front of his boss' nephew. "James Storm wanted me to inform you he accepts your challenge."

"When?" Ethan asks.

"Next week."

This seems to please Ethan. "Thank you," he says simply, watching the man scurry away. He glances at Spud. "Well, we have a week to prepare then."

Spud swallows, the intensity in Ethan's eyes unsettling to him, especially after the last few months. "Yes," he finally responds.

Ethan's confidence, the weight of his hand on Spud's neck, almost does more to worry him than comfort him. _What if..._ he starts to think, before shaking his head, pursing his lips tightly. _No, don't think like that,_ he chides himself, hands curling into fists in his lap.

Eager to avoid more lectures from his aunt, who has barely let him have a moment's peace the few times he's gone home while she's not out or resting, Ethan rents out a gym with a wrestling ring on the outskirts of Nashville, and when Spud arrives early Monday morning, he stares up at the large building with growing trepidation. He exhales hard, squares his shoulders, and walks inside. Ethan and Tyrus are already in there, talking lowly amongst themselves. Ethan looks up when the door slams shut and greets Spud with a nod. "There you are," he says, pushing away from the ring and walking up to him. "Ready for this?"

Spud feels awkward in his gym wear, oddly vulnerable under the bright lights overhead. "I think so," he says.

Ethan hums and turns to enter the ring, waiting for Spud to join him. Once he's through the ropes, only stumbling a little, Ethan stretches his arms out over his head before facing Spud once more. "I know you haven't been in the ring much since signing with TNA, but I rewatched a little of your time in British Boot Camp and I know you're decent in-ring so let's just work off some of the ringrust, huh?"

Spud blinks, amazed Ethan had bothered to watch that. "W- When did you watch British Boot Camp?"

Ethan freezes and then shrugs. "When it aired," he says simply, turning away from Spud and leaning down to say something to Tyrus, who nods and goes to watch at the doors. "He's going to keep an eye out just in case someone tries something while we do this."

Spud nods and looks up at Ethan. "What exactly are we doing?" Before he can register the movement, he's down on his face, sputtering. "What the bloody-?" He feels angry and frustrated, nose and jaw throbbing and ankle not feeling great either after that legsweep. He scrambles back up onto his feet and glowers at Ethan.

"Just making you angry," Ethan says with a shrug. "You seem to work better when you're given a reason to." Spud's nostrils flare as he glares up at him but Ethan doesn't look overly concerned as he rotates his shoulders. "Let's start." He eases into position to start and Spud huffs at the very prospect of a test of strength between them, avoiding gripping his hands and ending up on his back almost as quickly as he'd landed on his face a moment earlier, instead going straight for the attack and swinging wide at Ethan's body.

Ethan huffs out something close to a laugh before taking a swing back at Spud, missing most as Spud dodges quickly, his size working to his advantage. They go back and forth for awhile, but Spud can tell despite his putting his all in the few strikes he manages to land Ethan is pulling his punches and it only serves to frustrate Spud more. "Stop holding back, damn you!" he snarls, sneaking close and striking Ethan hard in the ribs with quick jabs before slipping away again. "James Storm, hell, Abyss, will not be taking it easy on me!"

Ethan stops short and stares down at him. "You're right," he concedes, and then it's on, his strikes growing faster, his footing more certain, and Spud eats it over and over again, still fighting back, still taking every possible shot at Ethan he can get close enough for, looking for any opportunity to land anything else, or maybe, best case scenario, his finisher. Everything stops when Ethan gets ahold of him and twists him around into the 1%er, Spud motionless next to him. Even though he hadn't managed to hit anything significant in comparison to Ethan, he had lasted. Hopefully it would be enough- enough for Spud to outlast, to get to their corner and tag Ethan in, so they could have a better chance at winning. He sighs, closing his eyes and shaking his head, before leaning over and patting Spud's arm. "You did good, tiger," he mumbles.

They train once more on Monday, and then repeatedly through the week. Spud's stamina keeps getting better, the matches going longer and Spud attacking with better results, Ethan feeling oddly proud as he reflects over Monday's training versus Thursday's. "Last time," he says late Thursday afternoon. "I think we should rest tomorrow before the event. Alright?"

Spud wavers, considering suggesting another training session in the morning, but he's aching, exhausted, and a little longer lie in sounds like Heaven so he lets it stand. "Fine," he says, adjusting his wrist tape. "Let's do this."

They fall into their familiar rhythms, Spud circling Ethan and striking where he can, avoiding other hits but only staggering a little whenever Ethan lands a blow. Ethan nods in approval before moving on, attempting to get his hands on Spud for a DDT or suplex, Spud gritting his teeth as he missteps and gets snagged, hitting the mat hard, struggling back to his feet and kicking Ethan solidly in the upper thigh when he gets too close again, causing his muscles to seize up until walking becomes a struggle, slowing him down just enough to open him up to a series of strikes from Spud that ultimately leaves him staggered.

Spud sees his opportunity and takes it, gripping Ethan around the neck and rushing for the turnbuckle posts, the momentum just enough to force them both up and over, Spud sending Ethan down hard onto the mat below and laying there, tense and breathing heavily for a moment, before blinking up at the ceiling. "Bloody hell," he mumbles, touch uncertain and a little shaky when he pats Ethan on the shoulder. "I did it."

Ethan stirs, rolls over. "You did," he mumbles, trying to stretch his leg out. "Ow."

Spud doesn't feel _as_ guilty as he could, considering everything from the last few months, not to mention his own aches and pains from the last few days. Instead, he finds himself laughing slightly. "Do you think I can do that to James Storm, sir?"

Ethan looks up, stares over at Spud. The weight of his stare stirs up some of Spud's nerves, but then his lips twitch. "Yeah, Spud. I think you can."

Spud drops his head back down against the mat and sighs, wondering why he'd ever doubted Ethan's motivations for this week.

The next day, they meet outside of the arena and Spud squints up at Ethan, trying to seem stronger, larger, than he actually feels. "Sir?"

"Yes, Spud?" he asks, tilting his sunglasses down to examine his former best friend.

"We can win this, right?"

Ethan's hand is large and heavy on Spud's shoulder when he reaches out and squeezes him. "Of course we can, Spud. We can do anything we set our minds to. I've told you that. Tiger."

Spud nods, exhales shakily and looks over as Tyrus lumbers up, adjusting the headphones on his head. "Boss," he greets him with a grunt, only offering Spud a quick glance.

Ethan nods at him. "Let's go in," he says quietly, pushing the door open and making his way in, Spud scrambling to keep up while Tyrus follows behind at his own speed. The arena is hushed, all eyes on them as they make their way down the hall to the locker rooms clustered together in the middle. The Revolution has a room in the corner, foreboding and shadowed, while their room is out in the open, Ethan's name large on the plaque, and Spud closes his eyes as they claim it, Ethan locking the door behind them. "Alright," he says. "What do you say we discuss some strategy while we wait?"

Spud shrugs. "We could, but I think there's only so much strategy we can plan on, Sir. If we win-"

"When we win," Ethan interjects.

"I... it's just going to be thanks to luck and, and your abilities-"

Ethan rolls his eyes skyward and doesn't say anything for long, tense moments. "Spud, yes, I am the stronger of the two of us, but it has been proven time and again that that means nothing in this business. You're probably going to surprise yourself. You held up against me in that ring the last week, trust me, yes Abyss and Storm are going to underestimate you and target you pretty strong, but it's absolutely not going to be the easy win that they're expecting." He claps Spud on the back and says, "Now come on, let's think about what to do later."

Despite Spud's pessimism, the more Ethan talks out his thoughts, the more Spud gets invested in _possibilities_, and starts sharing his own ideas, the two of them poring over various ideas and plans until the show begins, sounds of the crowd and music startling both men away from where they're leaning over a paper filled with their rushed, sloppy scribbles. "Oh," Spud mumbles, scrubbing at his face. "I suppose we should change into our gear, sir."

Ethan nods, shoulders suddenly a little tense. "Yeah. I... guess we should."

Spud frowns up at him, confused by this sudden change in Ethan's mood. "Sir..."

"It's just gotten real all of a sudden, Spud. Don't worry. I'm fine." But he still doesn't move, staring at Spud. "You know, I blamed you for so long," he says, voice quiet and tense. "I tried... tried telling myself the Revolution taking you was none of my business, it might have even been karma... but those videos. How they were brutalizing you day after day..." He shakes his head. "I couldn't stand it. I had to do something. And... and now it feels like we're... friends again? Maybe we'll never have the same level of trust we had before, thanks to what I've done the last few months, and everything with my aunt, but..." He sighs, long and hard. "Look, if this goes wrong tonight, if... if they take you again, I won't let it last, ok? I _will_ find you again. Just... no matter what happens, hold onto that. Alright?"

Spud's eyes feel hot and wet, his breaths shuddering out of him as he struggles not to cry here, in front of Tyrus, just before perhaps the biggest match of his career. "Yes, sir," he says quietly. "I will."

Ethan's hand drops, warm and steady, against his back and draws him in, and they just lean on each other for a few moments, Spud biting his lip as he clings to Ethan's shirt, absorbing as much strength as he can, trying to brace himself for what's to come.

They pull away after a bit and Spud collects his things, Ethan doing the same, and they change quietly, lost in their own thoughts. Ethan's gear is simple, his usual fare, but in a shade of blue that oddly enough matches Spud's gear and he eyes him, Ethan merely smirking as he pulls on his kneepads. "What? I have connections," he says innocently and Spud rolls his eyes as he struggles to put wrist tape on, his hands shaking. "Here." Ethan helps him tear it off of the roll and line it up perfectly between Spud's pointer finger and thumb. "Good?"

"Yes, thank you," he says quietly.

Their match is at the top of the hour, so they still have some waiting to do, Spud taking the time to film another video, pleading yet again with people not to fall for James Storm's rhetoric and he's surprised when it and part of the earlier video he'd filmed is used as a preview of their match, including footage of his being held hostage in the shack, getting beat down by the members of the Revolution. It's hard to watch but Ethan at his side and Tyrus at his back helps him not to completely panic, gives him some hope that the match ahead won't be a complete disaster, that even in the worst case scenario. he will be ok.

Finally a stagehand knocks and informs them through the still locked door that they're up next, and Ethan looks at Tyrus. "Ready for this, big guy?"

"Uh huh," he grunts, following them out into the hall. Same as before, there's a tension, a quiet, as they make their way slowly out to the ring. On the other hand, James Storm looks calm, almost amused, as his group follows him down the ramp, Abyss staring intensely at them while the other members file around the ring, watchful and waiting for their own opportunity to strike.

"Sir," Spud says quietly, observing this and sticking close to Ethan's side, not wanting to give them any chance to snag him and get in some cheap shots before the bell rings.

"Yeah, Spud, I see," he says, keeping a close eye on them, just in case.

Abyss and Ethan start the match off, and it's hardhitting and fast, Spud barely able to watch as Abyss keeps overwhelming Ethan, his rage and size breaking through every offense and defense attempt Ethan makes. Spud closes his eyes and grips the tag rope so hard he thinks he can feel it straining against his palm, biting his tongue until he tastes blood. He jumps at a loud impact nearby jostling the ring and looks down, horrified to find Ethan slumped in their corner, Abyss pulling him up and holding him with a hand under his jaw so Spud can get a good look at his glazed over eyes, how he can't get his feet under him, just hanging there limp.

"Sir," Spud mumbles and leans out, as far as he can reach, just managing to slap Ethan's shoulder and tag himself in. Abyss laughs hoarsely and drops Ethan, quickly grabbing Spud and pulling him into the ring.

"You're gonna regret the day you ran from us, boy," he informs him, and the next few minutes, Spud never remembers anything other than a blur of pain and displeased crowd noise as they try to get behind him, even try to support Ethan for the first time in his TNA career.

But something shifts at some point, Ethan gets involved, Spud thinks, and when he manages to focus enough to take in what's going on around him, Tyrus is down on the mats outside, curled up and clearly in pain, Manik and Sanada pacing around between him and Ethan, Abyss and James working over the Carter heir, who's slumped against the barricade wall, breathing heavily and unable to do anything to defend himself. Spud struggles, crawls over to the corner and slowly, painstakingly, pulls himself up by using the ropes for leverage, overseeing what's going on below. His eyes widen with terror when he sees James pull something out of his tights, a familiar glint in the overhead lights. Brass knuckles. _No..._ Unwilling to see those used on Ethan, he inhales roughly and climbs the turnbuckles, swallowing hard when he sees how high up he's getting to be.

It's a risk, he knows, but it's one he has to take or Ethan will get injured worse, maybe even put his career at risk, Tyrus is motionless, and their only real opportunity to recover from all of this lies in this moment, his actions, so he takes it. Braces himself and dives down onto the bodies below, gasping as the height he'd gained in the jump, his forward momentum, does what he needs it to, a kind of domino effect as he falls into James Storm and Abyss and their bodies take out Manik and Sanada, leaving the entire group down on the mats. It won't hold them down for long, but it'll have to do, as he shakes off the pain from landing so heavily upon them, and blindly grabs at something onn the floor before scrambling over to Ethan. "Sir! Sir?"

Ethan stirs, cracks an eye open and stares at him. "Yeah, Spud," he mumbles, trying to sit up. "What..."

"I, I-" Spud gasps for air, feeling pain shoot up his ribs. "I jumped off the top rope and took them all out, but I can't-" His words fail him and he looks over his shoulder at the ring, hands shaking as he looks miserably back at Ethan.

Ethan glances from him to the men down at ringside and realizes what Spud means with a curse, forcing himself upright with a look of pained determination on his face, stumbling over and gripping James by the neck, forcing him to his feet before pushing him through the ropes into the ring. He takes a second to turn and help Spud up, somewhat more gently than he did the cult leader. "C'mon, Spud, we're gonna finish this," he tells him, and there's a certainty in his voice that almost makes Spud believe it too.

By the time they join Storm inside the ring, he's made it to his feet, a ferocious glare on his face that makes Spud want to hide for the rest of his life. "Ya think it's gonna be this easy to beat me?" he yells across at them. "Us?" He laughs mockingly at them, taking a step towards Spud, but before he can do anything, Ethan grabs at Spud's hand, pulling the brass knuckles from him and turning to catch James under the jaw, before getting his arm around his neck. He moves quickly, twists and plants him into the mat with an especially brutal 1%er, snapping him against the mat so quickly that Spud misses most of the motion, only aware of what happened by how James slumps against the mat afterwards.

"Spud," Ethan calls out to him, making a weird motion with his hands before grabbing James and forcing the man upright once more, holding onto him as he slumps, out on his feet. "Do what we practiced!"

It all clicks with a sudden rush of clarity and Spud swallows, deep blue eyes wide as Ethan pushes James into Spud's arms and Spud grits his teeth, turning sharply and taking a running start at the turnbuckles. He's not sure he can do it, holds his breath and closes his eyes as soon as he's climbed the pads and spins around to crash down with James to the mat below. It works, he thinks, feels the familiar jolt of imipact and fresh pain up his ribs from the landing, but he's the legal man and if this is going to end, he needs to be able to crawl over and pin James. Except that everything hurts and he's so tired, forcing his eyes open and staring over the short distance to the man who's made his life a living nightmare the last couple of weeks, finding the thoughts of crawling even those few inches unfathomable.

But he's not alone in this, and Ethan grips him under the arms, dragging him into position on top of James, before stepping back and letting the referee do his job, watching closely just in case something goes wrong.

When he hears the referee count to three, Spud squeezes his eyes shut and sobs quietly, some of the tension leaving him as he realizes with an incredulous feeling of joy that he's actually _won._ He won't be returning to that pitiful little shack, forced to face beating after beating until his body and mind breaks and he succumbs to James' whims.

He gasps, tense and expecting the worst, when someone grabs at him and tugs him off of James' prone body, but he relaxes as soon as he realizes it's Ethan, holding him tightly, hands tangling in his hair. "Sir," he breathes out. "We've won."

"Yeah, Spud," Ethan mumbles, squeezing him a little tighter. "We're tag team champions."

Spud hadn't even thought about that possibility and he can only imagine Dixie's rage right now, but he can't focus on it as Ethan's warmth disappears for a moment and he barks out a frenzied kind of laugh when he sees Ethan hoist James up and toss him out to the members of the Revolution lurking around ringside, spitting with anger as they glare up into the ring. When Ethan returns to Spud's side, he has the gold belts and Spud swallows as Ethan hands him one, grip tight on the other. "You're... you're ok with this?" Spud asks softly and Ethan stares down at him before looking at their belts, an uncomprehending expression on his face. "I mean, I know you haven't liked me much lately, and your aunt-"

Ethan interrupts before Spud can really start rambling. "Yeah, Spud, I'm perfectly fine with it. Don't worry." His hand rests warm and reassuring on Spud's back until the referee steps between them and grips their wrists to lift their arms in victory, the ring announcer's voice echoing through the arena as he declares them the new tag team champions. Spud watches out of the corner of his eye as The Revolution slowly make their way up the ramp, James struggling to stay on his feet and spit insults at them as he goes, still feeling the effects of Ethan and Spud's finishers. He's not too concerned, especially when he sees Tyrus is back on his feet, watching them go from the bottom of the ramp.

Spud can't help but grin, even though he knows their issues with The Revolution are far from over, especially now that they have these belts, and Dixie will be sure to do her best to ruin things for them the duration of their title reign. But it doesn't matter to him, he realizes, he could fight the entire world right this second and still feel like a winner because he's safe from The Revolution, and he's finally won his first championship in TNA with his closest friend once more by his side.


End file.
